


The Other Sister

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Thicker than Water [76]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-10
Updated: 2012-11-10
Packaged: 2017-11-18 09:05:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/559242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was just 11; he and Sarah were the same age when their parents died.  His whole life changed at that age, security snatched away from him in the middle of the night while he slept.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Other Sister

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written in the Thicker than Water universe, where the BAU are kids and teens. I knew it was only a matter of time before the characters brought me here.

** January 1999 **

“Excuse me, Jason Gideon?”

“Yes?”

Sitting at his favorite table at Beans, Jason looked up from his book on Martin Luther. He’d decided to get out of the house so he could read in peace. It was a rainy Friday evening, with one week left in his Christmas break. Almost everyone was home tonight and psyched for the weekend. Usually Jason was good at blocking out the noise and insanity. 

It came easy after years in a small apartment with a large amount of people. But tonight leaving was easier. So off he went to the coffee shop. He got a blackberry tea, turkey and brie on honey wheat, and dug deep into the Reformation. 

It was one of the books he needed for his Introduction to the Reformation class in the coming semester. Jason would read it now and have one less thing to do while taking five classes. As a double major in Philosophy and Religion, his plate was pretty full. This even included one evening class.

“Do you mind if I sit and talk to you for a moment?” the girl asked.

“No.” Jason shook his head as he stuck a bookmark in his page. He didn’t know the girl but there was something familiar about her. There were thousands of students on the American University campus but he was quite good with faces. If Jason had seen hers he would've remembered. “Can I help you with something?”

“I've been trying to drum up the courage to talk to you for a while now but…” she smiled and then laughed. 

Her laugh was nervous. Jason noticed she was nervous. She was jittery and even seemed to be sweating. Beans could get a bit overzealous with the heat but he didn’t think it was that hot in there. That made him quite curious. Looking down at her hands, she was clasping them in her lap.

“Well I don’t bite, I assure you.” Jason smiled too. 

He wanted to put her at ease. He didn’t know what this was about but his 60 second assessment said she wasn’t dangerous. She was pretty, with light brown skin and long, straight brown hair. Even though he didn’t recognize her, the familiarity he felt in her presence kept his guard to a minimum. Where had he seen her before or where did he know her from? 

“I appreciate your being nice.” she took a deep breath. “I'm a little nervous.”

“Do we know each other? I can't help thinking that I know you from somewhere. I'm sorry because I'm usually excellent with both names and faces. Right now I'm drawing a blank.”

“We don’t know each other but I believe you're close to my brother.”

“Oh my God…” recognition dawned immediately on his face. “Sarah?”

“How did you know my name?”

“I look at your picture almost every night. You don’t look exactly like Derek but it’s clear that you're siblings. I cannot believe I'm sitting across from you.”

“Same here.” Now her smile registered relief. “I don’t know you at all; I've never seen your picture. I was just so afraid that you wouldn’t want me anywhere near you. I know that adopted families can be squirrely when it comes to biological families. I swear I would never cause any trouble.”

“I wanted to find you and Desi someday.” Jason said. “I wanted to do that for Derek. I have some resources but I wasn’t sure about putting the people I love in precarious positions. Getting the information I needed wasn’t going to be easy.”

“I felt the same. But my dad, my adopted dad, he works for the U.S. Marshals out of Chicago. He knew how much it meant to me to find my brother and sister. I was so lucky to be adopted; 12 years old in the foster system isn’t all that desirable. 

“If we hadn't been separated I know my family would've adopted us all. They ended up adopting three children. They tried to find Desi and Derek…they tried for me. What kind of woman is Erin Strauss?”

“What?” Jason didn’t expect that question.

“What kind of woman is Erin Strauss, the woman who adopted Derek? I know you're her godson and she was your guardian. I just wondered how he got from Chicago to DC.”

“He ran away.” 

“Why would he do that? He doesn’t even know anyone here.”

“Derek would have to make the choice to tell you his story. I would never disrespect him by doing it instead. As for Erin, she's a wonderful but complicated woman. She was my mother’s best friend since college. When my parents died she um…she did her best.”

“Did her best?” Sarah raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean? Is Derek somewhere that isn’t good?”

“Absolutely not.” Jason shook his head. “Erin is supportive of all of us. Our story is a long one and gets complicated. I know you're Derek’s sister but you're a stranger to me and…”

“Oh, no, I understand. I'm so sorry to seem as if I'm digging in your personal affairs. I know I’d be on edge if someone I had never seen before just started asking me a whole bunch of questions about my family. I just…I can't believe this day is finally here. I need to see Derek.”

“We can't just spring this on him. I want to talk to him first…have Erin talk to him.” he would have to keep the Erin as parent thing up for a little while anyway. It was for the best. Who knew if Sarah would try to have her new parents take Derek away if she found out about their living situation. 

He would fight the hounds of hell before he let that happen. He understood they were family but Derek was his family too and Jason wasn’t going to let him end up someplace where he was alone again. “This is a sensitive subject. I don’t want to say he gave up hope because Derek would never do that. 

“But it’s hard to focus on everyday life when you're dreaming of what could be. He had to push missing you and Desi down really, really far. It would be highly irresponsible just to spring this on him. I'm not irresponsible.”

“I don’t want to wait too long. I feel like I've already waited forever. We lost our parents and then they split us up, Jason. They claim to be all about family but they just split us up without a care in the world. They didn’t even keep me and Desi together. Imagine being six years old and suddenly all alone.”

Jason nodded. He thought of little Ashley, forced into foster care when her mother committed suicide. He was just 11; he and Sarah were the same age when their parents died. His whole life changed at that age, security snatched away from him in the middle of the night while he slept. Erin and Dave may have chosen not to be his direct parents for any numbers of reasons but they didn’t just leave him out there to face the world on his own. Some of the things Derek went through, and maybe his sisters as well, were nightmare scenarios for kids.

“Please just give him my number.” Sarah dug a pen and piece of paper from her satchel purse. She scribbled ten digits on it, sliding it across the table. “He can call me when it’s OK to see him.”

“I will. I promise that I won't make you wait too long. I just need you to understand that Derek is my little brother too and he's had ups and downs. Protecting him, making sure his world stays right side up, is my top priority.”

“I do understand. I feel the same way about all of my siblings too, Jason. Here,” she reached into her purse again and this time came out with a picture. “I just want you to know that I am who I say I am. All I had left when they took us was one big photo album. I held onto it for dear life. That’s me, Derek, and Desi with Mama. He was just five years old.”

“Oh yeah, that’s Derek alright.” He looked at the picture. 

Jason knew what it was like to only have pictures left. His were in weatherproof plastic bins in the basement of their house. Seeing this made him want to go through them again. But he knew that memories could be as dangerous as they were wonderful.

“Thank you for listening to me.” Sarah’s smile was nervous again as she stood from the table.

“It was really nice to meet you Sarah.”

She walked away and Jason knew he couldn’t just go back to his book. This was huge. It was overwhelming him so Jason had no idea what it was going to do to 15 year old Derek. Sighing, he stood and started packing up his backpack. 

He took care to put the picture in the front pouch. It was old and delicate. It was all that was left of a life that ended tragically six years ago. Jason was really glad he wasn’t going to have to face this alone.

***

“Where is he?” Emily asked.

She was sitting Indian style on Jason’s bed. There was a look of deep concern on her face that made her look older than her 17 years. Jason knew how much she cared about Morgan. Emily would never pick favorites when it came to her younger siblings. Hotch was her twin after all. 

But Derek saved her life. He wasn’t thinking of himself when he stopped that attack in the alley. Then he brought Emily someplace safe and warm while seeking nothing in return. He got her necklace back, had her back during her emancipation, and always made sure she was alright. 

He even offered to beat the hell out of Jason when he thought he might be cheating on her. He couldn’t have Sarah but he had Emily…he told Jason that more than once. Now Sarah was back and Jason wasn’t sure how it would affect their family dynamics. It was possible to be overjoyed and unsure at the same time. 

He never wanted to keep Derek away from his blood. But he didn’t want to lose him either. Jason had no clue how Derek would react to this. It was something he couldn’t predict.

“He just went to his room to chill out.” Jason replied. “I don’t know how…”

“We just tell him. There’s no way to cushion the blow or make it easier. If we don’t do it tonight then we’re just stalling. This is huge news.”

“It could hurt more than help.”

“How?” Emily asked.

“I don't know; I'm not in Derek’s head. He does well being strong and tough but there's a deep sensitivity under there. You know that almost better than anyone. This is an open wound Emily. Skin was finally starting to grow over it. When we tell him it’s just going to rip open again.”

“This could bring some kind of closure. We’re his family but Sarah is as well. It’s not just about the two of them; this is a family thing. She’s our family too in a way.”

“OK.” Jason nodded. He didn’t quite believe that and wasn’t sure how he felt about doing this. Still, it had to be done. Reaching for Emily’s hand, Jason sighed. “OK, let’s go.”

Emily climbed off the bed and pulled him into a hug.

“Its going to be alright.” She whispered.

“OK.”

“I mean it; it'll be OK.”

“I hope so.”

“C'mon, let’s do it.”

000

“Come in!” Derek called when someone knocked on his door.

“Hey.” Emily popped her head into the room. Derek needed to clean but she would deal with that some other time. “Jason and I need to talk to you.”

“I didn’t do it.” he grinned.

“We know you didn’t do it.” Jason walked into the room and closed the door.

“Oh, OK. What's up?”

Emily sat down on the bed and Jason in the desk chair. He just wasn’t sure how to do this. Nothing made him feel better than when his girlfriend took the reins.

“We've got some exciting but shocking news for you. Its going to take a while for it all to sink in but we’re here to support you.”

“Um…this sounds weird Prentiss.” he looked at her and then at Jason. “What's happening?”

“I was in Beans earlier this evening and a girl approached me. It was Sarah.”

“Sarah who?” 

“It was your sister Sarah, Derek.” Emily replied. “She goes to college here in DC and wants to see you. The reason she moved here for school was to have a relationship with you again.”

“What?”

“Derek, your sister…”

“I heard her Gideon.” He held up his hands as he jumped off the bed. “Is this true? Is Sarah really in DC?”

“She told me to give this to you.” Jason handed him the picture.

Derek looked at it and couldn’t believe his eyes. He surely didn’t remember the moment the picture was taken but that was definitely his family. He hadn't seen his mother in six years. He remembered when his aunt woke him to tell him that his mother was dead. She was gone and Derek didn’t even have pictures of her. 

He was just a little boy; he never thought to take one. The only thing he had was one of his sisters with him. Derek kept it on his nightstand right beside his pillow. He prayed every night to a God he wasn’t even sure that he believed in that at least Sarah and Desi were safe.

“Oh my God, I’d almost forgotten what she looked like.” Derek’s fingers traced the old photo. “She's beautiful.”

Emily got up from the bed too. She came to stand next to him, looking at the picture.

“She's quite beautiful Derek.”

“My sister is here?’ he looked at her with tears in his eyes.

“She's in DC and wants to see you.” Jason said.

“Yes!” he exclaimed. “When?”

“Whenever you want to, Derek.”

“I want to see her now, Gideon. Can I see her right now?”

“Well…”

“You can call her.” Emily said. “Its kinda late so I'm not sure that she can get here. But we have her phone number. Do you want to call her?”

“Of course I do.”

“I’ll go downstairs and get her number.” Jason stood from the chair. “I’ll be right back.”

“Oh my God.” Derek sank back onto his bed as Jason walked out of the room. He was still clutching the picture. He looked at Emily. “What do I do?”

“You just talk to her. Tell her how much you love her, how much you miss her. You’ll cry together. It’s totally OK to cry, Derek.”

“What if she went through stuff like I did? What if someone hurt her too, Emily?”

“We’ll pray that nothing like that happened.” She sat on the bed with him. “Right now the most important thing to remember is that you're getting ready to talk to your sister again.”

“I feel so…actually I feel kinda numb.”

“I bet.”

“So that’s not weird?” Derek asked.

“I have to say I don’t know. This is my first experience with something like this.”

“I can't wait to tell her that I'm OK. I want her to know I have an awesome family.”

“Oh by the way, Sarah thinks that Erin adopted you.” Emily said. “For now, we’ll just let her think that OK?”

“Yeah.” he nodded. “Emily, is this really happening?”

“Its happening.” She nodded and threw her arms around him. “It’s amazing.”

“The best news ever.” He held onto her.

They were still hugging when Jason came back with the piece of paper.

“Here is her number.”

“Thank you so much.” Morgan let Emily go and took it. He took a deep breath. “I'm scared. I can't believe I'm admitting it but I am.”

“I met her.” Jason said. “I saw her with my own eyes. She looked beautiful and healthy. She did say she was adopted so she's been somewhere good I think. I'm sure this conversation is going to be great. Emily and I will leave you alone to do it.”

“Can you come back in an hour or so, Gideon?” Derek asked. “I might wanna talk.”

“Yeah,” the older boy put on a smile. “I’ll be here.”

Derek nodded and then Jason and Emily left the room. Back downstairs in Jason’s room they were both pretty quiet. They wanted to be upstairs with Derek, holding onto him in case he needed support.

“I really need a clove.” Emily said.

“I think I might need one too.”

Emily laughed. She laughed and laughter caught Jason. The gleeful sound released some of the tension in the room. Emily hugged him and they held onto each other for a while.

“Derek is going to be fine.” She whispered.

“I know. I just…I love him and don’t want to lose him.”

“I love him too and that’s not going to happen.” Emily shook her head.

“How do you know?”

“We’re family, Jace. Derek is overjoyed to have his sister back but that doesn’t mean he’s going to love us any less. You can't think about it like that. You have to think about it as a welcome addition instead of something that could take him away.”

“I’ll try.” He didn’t know if he could tonight but maybe eventually. Maybe after he knew what Sarah’s intent was and how Morgan was going to handle this new addition in his life. It might be a long weekend for all of them. “Let’s have that clove now.”

Emily smiled. She took his hand, lacing her fingers through his. There was a happy sigh when Jason held her hand to his lips and kissed it. What a Friday night it had been. After a long week, Emily never saw this coming. That was part of the adventure of life. 

It threw things at you; you had to juggle, dance, and balance so much. It would be interesting in the coming weeks and months to see how Sarah Morgan would fit into their family. Soon they would have to tell the entire family that there was a new member, kind of. For now it was just about making sure Derek was going to be OK. Only when that was done would Emily be able to focus on the other things that needed handling before another Monday morning came.

***


End file.
